Help needed, recommendations please

Lavender and olive trees. Really, anything Mediterranean that can cope with drought.

In the summer bedding geraniums and bedding begonias survive well without daily watering. Phormium look good in large pots and come in reds, yellows and greens
In the winter for colour, try large pots with a statement holly, Fatsia Japonica or Viburnum.
For your garden I’d suggest the Cranesbill geraniums, which are a semi shade loving perennial. There are loads of varieties, large and small, ranging from white through pink and blue to dark purple.
I you pick carefully there will alway be one in flower from spring to late Autumn. Some are evergreen.

Last summer good sized planters got neglected as I had five weeks in hospital for major surgery. The plants.that survived were grey green grasses and Mexican fleebane. Doubt if they got watered but have just replaced them as did look a bit scruffy. They have been planted up for probably seven years.

I would sound a word of warning about cranesbill geranium - it self seeds and is rampant when it gets going. In a small garden it could take over. I have it in mine and am constantly having to dig it out to keep it under control.

At the static caravan I would be inclined to plant lavender and perhaps some rosemary. Lavender doesn’t like to have wet roots so doesn’t need much talc apart from pruning annually. I have a rosemary in my front garden, exposed to full sun, gets little water but is thriving. Both are coniferous and both flower as well as being scented.

Santolina (cotton lavender), another Mediterranean plant, has grey leaves and yellow flowers and can stand being trimmed to size. I have mine in full sun, but it might be worth a try.

I also have wall germander, which grows best in minimal soil. It is evergreen, with green leaves and purplish pink flowers in mid to late summer. Also happy to be cut back hard. I think it will stand a bit of shade. It did fine last summer.

Cyclamen are tough and don't mind dry soil.

Greyduster

I would sound a word of warning about cranesbill geranium - it self seeds and is rampant when it gets going. In a small garden it could take over. I have it in mine and am constantly having to dig it out to keep it under control.

There are over 100 varieties, not all of them spread.

Greyduster

I would sound a word of warning about cranesbill geranium - it self seeds and is rampant when it gets going. In a small garden it could take over. I have it in mine and am constantly having to dig it out to keep it under control.

And yet I have lost some of mine ☹

Obviously they don't like the soil here. The only one that seems to survive is a pink one (can't remember its name) but that one gets rather woody.

I do like them, have planted several varieties because I thought they would be easy and flower all summer.

Cyclamen are tough and don't mind dry soil.

Now the cyclamen, on the other hands, appear all over the garden! They started off in tubs and an old sink, then I did plant a few n garden beds but now they're growing in amongst the paving slabs, around the gravel edges, and seem quite happy.

Perhaps don't plant Lantana, they become to large.

Allira

^Cyclamen are tough and don't mind dry soil.^

Now the cyclamen, on the other hands, appear all over the garden! They started off in tubs and an old sink, then I did plant a few n garden beds but now they're growing in amongst the paving slabs, around the gravel edges, and seem quite happy.

Apparently ants carry their seeds off to distribute them around the garden

MaizieD

Allira

Cyclamen are tough and don't mind dry soil.

Now the cyclamen, on the other hands, appear all over the garden! They started off in tubs and an old sink, then I did plant a few n garden beds but now they're growing in amongst the paving slabs, around the gravel edges, and seem quite happy.

Apparently ants carry their seeds off to distribute them around the garden

Ants have some use then 😂

Actually thank you ants as I like cyclamen.

“Obviously they don't like the soil here. The only one that seems to survive is a pink one (can't remember its name) but that one gets rather woody.” Allira

I think that one would be Wargrave Pink, it’s bomb proof!

J52

“Obviously they don't like the soil here. The only one that seems to survive is a pink one (can't remember its name) but that one gets rather woody.” Allira

I think that one would be Wargrave Pink, it’s bomb proof!

No, it didn't survive! Or it's been eaten because it's disappeared.

Sedums and the bearded holly. Both are near enough maintenance free as well